When I Take That Ride
by theangelCas
Summary: With the zombie apocalypse seemingly averted, Dean and Castiel are prepared to move Heaven and Earth (and maybe even more) to find Megan and bring her back. Meanwhile, Sam makes some discoveries on Earth that may have him spiraling down a rabbit hole he never meant to fall into. Sequel to "Dead Already".
1. The Beginning

_**With the zombie apocalypse seemingly averted, Dean and Castiel are prepared to move Heaven and Earth (and maybe even more) to find Megan and bring her back. Meanwhile, Sam makes some discoveries on Earth that may have him spiraling down a rabbit hole he never meant to fall into.**_

_**Sorry it's not he best description, but you get the idea!**_

_**This is the sequel to my other story, **_**Dead Already****_. If you haven't read that one yet, go check it out before you get to this one!_**

_**For this story, I plan on making each chapter longer than **_**Dead Already****_ (which averaged a little over 1100 words per chapter), but that means I won't update quite as often. Sorry!_**

_**Please enjoy, and review to let me know what you think!**_

"Dean!"

Castiel's harsh voice came out of nowhere, almost causing Dean to lose control of the steering wheel. He had been driving down the road, in his precious Impala, alone, when suddenly, there was a passenger beside him.

"Jesus, Cas. I told you not to do that when I'm driving." Not that he could actually injure himself here. It was Heaven, after all. "At least give me a little warning."

"There's no time for that." Cas' blunt tone had Dean worried. Sure, down on Earth, Castiel was _always_ abrasive. But ever since they had spent time together up in Heaven, the angel had seemed to soften quite a bit.

Life, or rather, lack there of, had been pretty peaceful. He and Castiel had become quite close, and Dean actually ended up liking the guy.

In fact, the only issue he had with Heaven, was that there was no Sam. It was a pretty substantial problem.

Cas wasn't always in Heaven with him. He would leave for long periods of time, and Dean wasn't entirely sure where he went. But he never bothered him about it, because he knew Cas had more important things to do than be with him.

"Well spit it out, Cas. What is it?"

"I think I may have found Megan."

The Impala came to an abrupt halt. "You found her? How? Where?"

"I am not certain, but I have reason to believe she is in Purgatory."

"Purgatory?" Dean repeated. "As in Limbo?"

"Yes, sort of. You see, Human souls end up in Heaven, like your own. Corrupted human souls go to Hell, again, like your own. They are twisted and corrupted further until they become demons. But not every soul in the universe is Human."

Dean raised his brow. "Wait, you mean... Monsters? Monsters have souls?"

Castiel nodded. "They, too, have souls. And when they die, they go to Purgatory."

"But Megan isn't a monster!" Dean protested. "And neither are you! Why would you go to Purgatory?"

"I don't have a soul, Dean." Castiel explained. "When I die... there is no soul to end up anywhere. As far as I can tell, I would simply cease to exist."

"But Megan..."

"Megan was human. For a short period of time, true, but it was enough. She gave up her grace for a soul, and although her grace was eventually returned to her body, her soul never left."

Dean shook his head. This was a lot to take in.

"Her soul and her grace... combined. She wasn't fully angelic, or fully human. I believe that's why she is now in Purgatory."

Dean stared down at the steering wheel. They knew where she was. He didn't know how to get to Purgatory, but it didn't matter. That had never stopped him before. He would figure it out.

"How do you know all of this, Cas? I thought you didn't know what happened to angels after they died?"

Castiel frowned. "I talked to another angel. A more... knowledgeable one. His name is Joshua. He... he wants to speak to you."

"To me? Why?"

"I do not know. But I think you should." Castiel looked at Dean, sympathetically. He knew how hard it was going to be to enter Purgatory. And he also knew nothing was going to stop Dean from getting there. "I can take you to him. He is in the Garden."

Dean nodded. "If he'll help us, then yes. We should talk to him."

"We? You want me to join you?" Castiel asked, surprised. Dean was quite independent. He thought this was something he would want to do alone.

"Well, yeah. Unless you have some other plans. If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly get along with the _halo __crowd_, all that much."

"Oh, I see. We should be going then." Castiel reached forward and pressed his fingers against Deans forehead.

When Dean opened his eyes, they were not longer in his car. Suddenly they were... "Where is this place? It feels familiar."

Castiel glanced around. This was different from the Garden he had just been in. The Garden appears different to everyone, and it seemed to be listening to Dean, now.

"This, is the Cleveland Botanical Gardens." Dean turned to see a man approaching them. He was smiling, staring at Dean. "You went here on a field trip, once."

"Okaaay..." Dean glanced at Castiel. "So I'm guessing you must be Joshua, then."

Joshua nodded. "That, I am. It's good to meet you, Dean Winchester."

Dean gave him a weird look, but did not return the greeting. "Cas said you wanted to talk to me."

"I did. But I think it is _you_ who wants to speak with me."

Dean sighed. "See, Cas. This is why I need you. Angels like to talk in riddles."

"We need to get to Megan, the angel. You said she was in Purgatory." Castiel explained to Joshua.

"Oh, yes, Nisroc. And you think I can help you?"

"You tell me. You seem to know enough about it." Dean didn't want to chat with the angel. He just wanted to find Megan.

Joshua paused. "Yes, I can help you find your friend. But I can only do so much. The rest is up to you." Dean got a weird feeling as Joshua's' eyes tracked him. He could feel the angel staring at him, studying him like an animal. He often got that feeling around angels- even Cas at first. It as like they were trying to figure him out, decipher his mannerisms and read his mind. He really, really hated that.

"Look, I'll do whatever it takes. I just need to know what I'm doing."

Joshua smiled at him. "I knew I would like you, Dean. So strong-willed. So naive. I have a spell. A spell that will open the gates to Purgatory. I have already discussed it with your friend, here. The spell itself won't be too hard, but the rest..."

"Never mind that. That's up to me." Castiel interrupted. "You said you needed to ask Dean something."

Joshua's gaze flickered between the two of them. "No, it's quite alright. I believe I already have my answer. I suppose you're ready to go?"

"Yes, just as we discussed."

"Wait, you already discussed?" Dean looked to Castiel for confirmation.

"Yes, when I talked to him last. It's all worked out, already. The only reason I brought you to him was so he could meet you." Castiel heard something he couldn't quite recognize in Dean's voice, and he didn't like it.

"You plan on going into Purgatory? Alone?"

"It's the only way." Castiel explained. He didn't know exactly why Dean was angry about this, but he could tell he was. "The angels won't spare anyone else. It's too dangerous, and in their eyes, unnecessary."

"You won't go?" Dean challenged Joshua. "You said you wanted to help."

"I'm sorry, Dean. I would, but it is not possible right now. I have other matters to tend to."

"Like what?"

"I cannot say."

Dean groaned. Angels were never straightforward. "Fine. I'll go."

Castiel's eyes widened in surprise. "Dean, I don't think that is the best idea."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous-"

"Exactly! I can't just let you go alone, Cas. This is at _least_ a two person job." There was no way Dean was going to hang back safely in Heaven while Cas dove into the hells of Purgatory without so much as a sidekick. Not that Dean was his sidekick- of anything in was the other way around, Dean noted to himself- but regardless, he needed someone with him, and Dean was willing to be that someone.

"I don't know..." Castiel had never been in Purgatory, but he had heard plenty about it. It was a dangerous place, full of ancient and modern monsters alike. Dean was a decent hunter, but he had never dealt with anything like _this_.

"Come on, Cas. You're my friend. Let me do this."

Castiel frowned. "How would that work?" He asked Joshua. "Can we do that? Bring a human soul to Purgatory?"

"Humans are not meant to be in Purgatory," Joshua admitted. "But then again, neither are angels. If we can get you in, we can get him in."

"So you'll help us open Purgatory with that spell?"

Joshua nodded. "I can give it to you. But you must hurry to gather the supplies. The spell will only work when performed during the eclipse."

"That only gives us a couple of days," Castiel muttered to himself, thinking. "I must go to Earth now. Dean, are you ready to go?"

"Now? To Earth?" Dean didn't think he'd ever be going back to Earth. Purgatory was one thing, but Earth... Earth was home. He wasn't sure he'd want to go back upstairs after spending time down there again.

"Yes. The ritual must take place there, anyway. You won't be in your body, of course... you'll just be a spirit."

Dean nodded. That was better, really. It wouldn't feel as permanent. "I guess we should go, then."

"Good luck to the both of you," Joshua put his hand on their shoulders. "Come back and see me when you find Nisroc- or, Megan, sorry. I'd like to see her, again "

_**The title of this story is taken from the poem "**_**It's Ok to Go**_**" by Lori Daoust.**_


	2. Like a Virgin

_**Thank you for reading the first chapter! I hope you will enjoy this story as much as the last.**_

It was weird, being back on Earth after so long. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure how long he had been gone. Months? Years? But during that time, he had grown accustomed to the peacefulness of Heaven. His whole life had been nothing but chaos and danger. Heaven was none of that.

But now, he was back. And it was... surprisingly welcoming.

It was like something had been missing this whole time, and he didn't even know it until he realized what it was. This was _real_. Heaven was memories, and fabricated worlds he created in his mind to keep himself preoccupied. But here, all the people he saw, all the houses they passed, and all that they did... those were no memories. Those were real.

He didn't have much time to appreciate any of this, though, because Castiel was all business.

"Jeez, Cas. Haven't you ever heard the expression 'Stop to smell the roses'?"

"Roses are not required for this ritual, Dean. I don't see how that is relevant right now."

Dean just rolled his eyes. "So what _is_ the ritual? What do we need to get?"

Castiel unfolded the piece of paper Joshua had given him. "The spell itself is quite simple. However, we need... blood. Quite a bit."

Dean paused. He was not liking this. "What kind of blood?"

"Half monster... Half virgin."

"Virgin? Well, shit, Cas. How are we supposed to get virgin blood?" Castiel didn't answer. "How much do we need?"

"A significant amount."

"Damn it..." Dean cursed. Monster blood was one thing... but human blood? That was much harder to get. And it couldn't be his own... obviously. He didn't even have blood as of right now, and he certainly wasn't a virgin.

"I can... procure the blood, alone, if you wish."

Dean shook his head. "No, no, man. We can't be killing some poor virgin."

"I'm not going to-"

"Or send them to the hospital for blood loss..."

Castiel sighed. "Then what do you suggest?"

Dean thought for moment, and then smiled. "I've got an idea."

...

Dean was used to dressing up in some costume and playing a part. He had been police officers, Homeland Security, Firemen, and more. But unfortunately, he was just a spirit on Earth.

But _Castiel_ was all flesh and bones, (or, technically just _inside_ flesh and bones, but, whatever.) And, as it just so happens, he looked quite good in a doctor's white coat.

"I don't understand, Doctor Herman. My daughter just has a cough. Are you sure you need to do a blood test?" A middle aged mother asked, cautiously.

A girl, about 12, sat between them, coughing periodically. She had been on her phone for most of the visit, but as soon as they mentioned blood test, she started to look worried.

"Yes, Ma'am. But I don't want to prescribe any medication, yet. The cough should go away on its own."

"Then why the blood test?" The mother pressed again. She put her hand on her hip, and spoke with the high-pitched, accusatory tone Dean recognized from all the mothers of the girls he ever dated.

Castiel glanced nervously to Dean, who stood at the other side of the room. As a spirit, he appeared invisible to the mother and daughter, and they could not hear him. But Castiel could.

Castiel repeated what Dean told him to say. "It's better safe than sorry, Ma'am. I just want to be careful."

The mother frowned, but nodded.

Castiel grabbed a needle, and some of the sanitizing equipment. The girl still hadn't spoken a word to him, but she allowed him to prepare with general ease.

However, as soon as he got the needle ready, she started to _freak_.

"N-never mind. I don't (cough) wanna do this. I don't want my blood (cough) taken." She held her hand over her arm, pleading with both Cas and her mother.

"Courtney, sweetheart, you have to calm down." Her mother stood at her side, gently stroking her hair. "You have to let the doctor do this."

Castiel glanced nervously at Dean for assistance.

"You gotta calm her down, Cas..." Dean said, very unhelpfully. Castiel didn't do anything. "You gotta... tell her a story or something."

Castiel looked down at the girl. "Uh... It'll be fine. It wont, uh, hurt..."

Dean watched Castiel's futile attempts to assure the girl with amusement. He could sometimes forget that Cas was actually some supposedly-emotionless angel, except for when he tried to act human. The usually confident angel was now stumbling over his words and nervously rubbing the back of his neck. It was pretty funny.

But right now, he couldn't just sit back and watch. This was too important. "Cas, just repeat after me, okay?"

Castiel cleared his throat, and tried again, this time with Dean's words. "I have a little brother," He started, abruptly. Courtney stared up at him, still holding her arm. "His name is Sam. Do you... um, do you have any sisters or brothers?"

Courtney nodded. Her mother explained, "She has a little sister, Isabelle."

Castiel smiled. "Well, my brother hated going to the doctor. He was terrified of it. And once he got himself hurt- because you know how younger siblings are. They're klutz." Courtney smiled, nodding. She let go of her arm, and continued listening.

"Anyway, he ended up having to get his blood drawn- just like you. But when the doctor left to go get the supplies, he turned to me and said, 'I can't do this, Dean. It's gonna hurt!' So of course I told him it wouldn't hurt at all, but he didn't believe me.

"He was only 9, though, you have to remember. So I told him that I knew a trick to make it not hurt. So I ran around the room, grabbing random doctor equipment. I put on the gloves and everything. I started hitting his knee with the rubber hammer. I pretended to know what I was doing with a stethoscope. And I even gave him a glass of water from the faucet and told him it was special, numbing water."

"Did he believe you?" Courtney asked, laughing.

"Yes! He was so sure that it was going to work."

"What happened when the doctor came back?"

"He took his blood."

"And?"

"Oh, he cried like a baby." Courtney giggled. "He was mortified. But that's only because he didn't expect anything. That was my mistake. But I'm not going to make that mistake with you." Courtney looked down. "Yeah, it's going to hurt. But then it will be over."

"Well, Courtney. Will you let him take your blood, now?" Her mother asked.

Courtney looked back at him, and nodded slowly.

Castiel was able to take a sample of the girls blood, and pack it away as if he had any plans to send it for testing. The girl winced when the needle went in, but she took it like a champ.

"You did good," Castiel smiled, reassuringly. "That wasn't so bad, right?"

Courtney shook her head. "And now it's over."

The woman thanked Castiel, who sent her to fill out some paperwork with the receptionist. Courtney let out another hacking cough before standing up to follow her.

With the mothers back turned, Castiel quickly reached over and pressed two fingers on the girls head. She gasped, and immediately stopped coughing. She stared up at Castiel with wide eyes. He just smiled and waved her off to her mother.

That's when Castiel seemed human. When he was just being kind.

When the door closed, Dean grinned. "You did well, dude."

"It was your story."

He let Castiel get the jar out of the cabinet- he still wasn't that good at picking things up as a spirit. "That may have been enough blood," They had been at this all day, and they had gone through a lot of kids. "Nice job curing her cough. Poor girl looked miserable."

"It wasn't just a cough." Castiel opened the jar and poured in the new blood. "She had a Cough-Variant Asthma. It's very under-diagnosed. She should be fine, now."

"Oh..." Dean trailed off.

"I think this is enough." Castiel announced. "Assuming all of these kids were, in fact, virgins."

"God, I hope so. We never saw anybody over 12." Dean looked down at the half-filled jar. "Now we need monster blood."

"That should be a lot easier. Hold on, before we leave..." Castiel opened up the supply closet, and pulled out a tall dark- haired woman. He touched her for head, and she awoke with a start. "Here, Dr. Herman." Castiel took off his coat and name tag, returning it to her. "You'll need this." And then he disappeared.

…

Getting monster blood was considerably easier. With Castiel's help, locating a skinwalker was much easier than Dean could ever remember. And killing it, well, he took care of that pretty quick.

Afterwords, Castiel transported them to a park. He sat down, and Dean followed suit. "We can't do the ritual until tomorrow night. I suppose I can take you back to your Heaven until then."

"Hold on," Dean wasn't going to let an opportunity like this one pass by so quickly. "In case you've forgotten, I'm dead. I don't get to come down here that often, anymore."

"What do you suggest?"

Dean hesitated, knowing Castiel's response was most likely going to be negative. "I want to see Sam."

Castiel closed his eyes. He knew Dean was going to ask... it was in Deans nature to think of Sam before everything- and everyone- else. "Dean, you know we shouldn't-"

"We shouldn't what?" Dean repeated. "We shouldn't see my brother? Talk to him? Let him know I'm okay? Make sure he is? There's nothing wrong with that."

"You're not even supposed to be down here," Castiel pointed out. "You chose Heaven, not Earth. You are where you are by your own free will. You shouldn't interfere..."

"Cas, you know me better than that. All I _do_ is interfere with shit I shouldn't." Dean grinned, hoping to get a smile from Castiel. He didn't. "This is my brother we're talking about here, Cas. Sam. I just want to _see_ him, for Christ's sake."

Castiel sighed, and Dean knew he had won. "Okay, if you insist. But you cannot tell him what we are doing. Humans aren't supposed to know about Purgatory. The only reason I'm telling you is..."

"Yeah, I know. I won't tell him anything, I swear."

"Good. Just let me find him..."

_**FYI, I'm not a doctor, and I've never gotten my blood taken, so if that isn't how you do it... sorry.**_


	3. Meanwhile, On Earth

_**I feel like this story is getting off to a good start! Please review, and let me know what you think!**_

Sam Winchester did not want to answer his door.

Somebody was knocking on it like a fucking idiot, and he just was not in the mood.

When the apocalypse was over, and life was beginning to go back to normal (just with less people), Sam thought he could go back to hunting. He thought he wanted to.

He knew that's Dean would want him to. Dean always wanted him to hunt. His dad always wanted him to hunt. And he never did.

But now they were both gone. Long gone. And as much as he had always wanted to run away- and as often as he _did_ run away- he had never felt as alone as he did now.

At first, people had to rebuild. Society didn't return to normal over night. But after the last 3 years, it was practically identical to society pre-zombie.

When that happened, he _tried_ to hunt. He really did. There were still things out there to kill. But he just couldn't get into it. It wasn't the same.

Eventually he settled down in and his own apartment in Lawrence. He felt closer to his family there, even though he knew they were much, much farther away.

He got a job as a mechanic with one of his dads old friends. He had met the man once before, pretending to be a journalist or something. Luckily, it didn't seem like he recognized him. He used the fake name Glenn Davis.

Things were going pretty well. He had a girlfriend, although nothing serious, and a stable life.

But tonight, he just wasn't feeling it.

Every once in a while he would go into this depression, and he just couldn't get out of it. He didn't know if he missed hunting, or if he just missed his brother. These nights he'd usually curl up on the couch with a case of beer, put on the television, and tried not to fall into the darkness.

And that's what he was doing when some bastard started to knock on his god damn door.

He let them knock, planning on ignoring them completely. But soon... "Sam. Sam Winchester."

_Who knows my real name?_ Sam thought, standing up, shakily. He began to recognize the voice. He had heard this man before... a few years ago...

He swung open the door. "Castiel?" He could not contain his look of astonishment when he saw the angel- who looked exactly the same as he did years ago- standing I'm his doorway.

"Sorry, I would've teleported in there, but I didn't want to startle you." Castiel apologized, looking uncomfortable.

Sam just stared at him, still unsure of what to say.

Castiel stood awkwardly, wishing Sam would say something. "Sam, I know it's been awhile..."

"Awhile?" Sam finally spoke. "It's been more than _awhile_, Castiel. It's been years. The last time you spoke to me, you told me my brother was dead."

Castiel looked down at the ground. The reasons Castiel had given Dean against coming here were legitimate, but there was another reason he had not said out loud.

He was ashamed. Ashamed that he hadn't really tried to help Sam through any of this. He simply relayed the information, and them watched from afar as Sam's life collapsed in on itself. He had spent too much time finding Megan, and too much time with Dean.

"I know, Sam. And I'm sorry for that..."

"Sorry? You could've stopped by every once in awhile, ya know. You could've sent a post card or _something_." Sam's hand was still wrapped around the door knob, and he had half a mind to just shut the door. Whatever the angel wanted, he didn't want any part of it. He didn't hunt anymore, and he certainly wasn't going to help _Castiel_ hunt something.

"You're absolutely right, Sam. I should've. And I'm sorry I didn't."

"What do you want, Castiel?"

Before Castiel could answer, another voice behind Sam spoke. "Well I needed _someone_ to tell me where you were hiding out." Sam's whole body tensed. His ears must have been deceiving him. It couldn't be... "Who the hell is Glenn, anyway?"

He turned around, and it was like his prayers were answered. "Dean..." He went to hug him, but Dean backed off.

"Hold on, Sammy. I'm not _all here_ if you know what I mean."

Sam stared at him in confusion before understanding. "You're... you're a spirit." That's all his brother was now. A ghost. A memory.

"Yeah... It was the only way to get down here." Dean explained, his stupid smile that Sam had missed so much plastered across his face.

Castiel had walked into the apartment and closed the door, but Sam didn't even care about him right now. All he cared about was the fact that his big brother was standing just inches away from him.

"So... How's it been? You still hunting?" Dean had been waiting for this for a long time, and now that he was here he had no idea what to say.

"Uh...no. I live here, I guess..." Sam found it hard just to remember to breathe, right now. He wished Dean could be here to stay, so he had all the time in the world to talk to him, again. But he only had right now. "I'm working with one of dads old friends- Mike Guenther."

"Really? That's great," Sam almost expected Dean to be disappointed about him not hunting, but he didn't seem to care. "I'm glad you're okay... I just... I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

Sam nodded. "Are... you okay? Wherever you... are?"

Dean smiled. "Yeah, yeah. It's kinda boring up there, but Cas has been keeping me company."

Small glanced at Castiel, and he was glad the angel was at least looking after Dean. "I really miss you, man..." His voice cracked just a little bit, and he knew under other circumstances Dean would've jeered him about it. But Dean just nodded.

"You too, Sammy."

Sam turned to Castiel. He had been waiting the whole time to ask him, even though he could guess the answer. "Castiel, I know you have the power to-"

"Sam, he can't." Dean interrupted him.

Castiel looked at Sam, sadly. "I'm sorry, Sam. I can't bring your brother back. I may have that kind of power, but it's against the rules."

Sam closed his eyes, nodding."I know, I just... Had to try."

Dean and Castiel shared a glance, and Sam tried not to notice. "Sammy... I have to get going." Dean wanted to stay. He wanted to stay permanently, but he knew that it was impossible. But he only wanted to make sure Sam was alright, and he had done that.

Sam could tell by Deans face that he wasn't saying something. That there was something at the tip of his tongue that he wanted to get out... but something was stopping him. But he also knew that if Dean had decided not to tell him something, then there was no use arguing with him. And now was definitely not the time to argue.

"Yeah, okay... I understand."

"I'm really sorry, Sam. For everything."

"Don't be. I'll... I'll see you soon."

"Not too soon, Sam. Promise me that."

Sam smiled, holding back tears. "I promise."

There was no hug to be had, so Dean and Castiel left. Sam wanted to scream his head off, but instead he elected to pick up the phone, instead. He had to tell _someone_ what just happened.

…

Bobby Singer hadn't heard from Sam in a couple years. He wasn't surprised when Sam picked up his stuff and left, declaring that he was done hunting. It was practically the kids M.O.

Sam had moved in with Bobby originally, after Dean and Megan were gone. It made it a little easier to deal with, for Bobby at least. He had grown close to Megan over the years, and Dean, well... he was like a son to him. So both of their deaths had been hard.

But for a while, he had Sam, and he appreciated that. Until the say that Sam decided to go. Bobby didn't argue with him, and he definitely didn't try any of that shit John did. He knew that Sam thought this was best for him and Bobby accepted that.

And then suddenly, two years later, he got a call from an unknown number. "This is Bobby Singer."

"Hey Bobby. It's Sam."

"Sam? How've you been, boy?" Bobby was glad to hear from him, but there was no way Sam was calling him just to chat. Something must have been wrong. "It's been awhile."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry for that." For a moment Sam realized that he had done to Bobby what he had just accused Castiel of doing to him. He quickly pushed that thought aside. He had more important things to worry about. "I was just calling because... I just talked to Dean."

There was a pause on the other line as Bobby tried to figure out if Sam had truly lost his marbles. "Sam..."

"He was a spirit, Bobby, but it was him. And Castiel was with him."

"Castiel? The angel?" Bobby hadn't seen the angel since he told the both of them bout Megan's and Dean's death. He never got in touch again.

"Yes, but... there's something they aren't telling me. I have to talk to you in person. Do you mind if I come by?" He asked, as if he was only a few blocks away.

"Boy, no matter when or why you asked me that, I'd never mind."


	4. The Great door

Castiel didn't make Dean help him prepare for the spell. All it involved, really, was drawing some symbols on the wall in the blood they had collected. He would've had Dean do _something_, at least, but right now, Cas knew he was only thinking about his brother.

He wasn't wrong. Deans mind kept going back to Sam's little apartment. It was small, but it was furnished more than any house Dean had ever lived in since he was four. When Castiel had been talking to Sam, Dean took the opportunity to look around.

It was _his_, really truly his. There were books on the shelves; with everything from mechanic 101 guides to rituals by ancient civilizations.

There were dishes in the sink, including two wine glasses that led him to believe he had some sort of girlfriend. The bed in his room was made neatly on only one side.

The TV had been on some news channel, and empty beer bottles laid on their side on the coffee table.

It was weird, seeing how Sam had moved on. He was surprised when Castiel originally told him Sam had continued hunting. Even then he figured it wasn't going to last.

The whole experience reminded him of that day 6 years ago, when he broke into Sam's college apartment. It looked somewhat the same, minus the beer.

Back then, he was a little offended that Sam had moved on so easily. Now it made Dean feel pretty good. He was going to be okay without his big brother, which may have been bittersweet, but it was for the best.

"Dean," Castiel's voice brought him back to the present. "We're ready."

Dean nodded, walking over to Cas. He looked over the symbols he had drawn, but he didn't recognize any of them. "So, what, you just read out some Latin, and we get this show on the road?"

"I suppose so. I have to be honest with you, Dean. I have no idea what to expect. No angel I know has ever been to Purgatory."

"I guess you'll be making history, then, huh?" Dean joked, but Cas didn't smile.

"Not if she's really in there."

Dean frowned. "Let's do this, Cas."

Castiel unfolded the piece of paper and cleared his throat.

"_Ianua Magna Purgatorii  
>Clausa Est Ob Nos<br>Lumine Eius Ab Oculis  
>Nostris Retento<em>

_Sed Nunc Stamus Ad Limen Huius  
>Ianuae Magnae Et Demisse<br>Fideliter Perhonorifice  
>Paramus Aperire Eam<em>

_Creaturae Terrificae Quarum  
>Et Dentes Nunquam Tetigerunt<br>Carnem Humanam Aperit Fauces  
>Eius Ad Mundum Nostrum Nunc<br>Ianua Magna  
>Aperta Tandem!<em>"

_(Great door of Purgatory  
>That is closed for us<br>Its light is kept away  
>From our eyes<em>

_But now we're standing on this threshold  
>Of the Great door, and humbly<br>Faithfully, respectfully  
>Are preparing for its opening<em>

_Terrible creature, whose claws  
>And teeth have never touched<br>Human flesh, is opening its jaws  
>Toward our world now<br>Great door  
>Open at last!)<em>

The markings on the wall began to glow with a bright light. Dean covered his eyes, but Castiel stared straight into the white abyss. "I can feel her," Castiel shouted, although Dean could barely make out his words. "She's in here. We have to go."

"Come on, then. Let's do this!" Dean closed his eyes and held his breath. He walked forward, expecting to be jolted forward, or flung through, or to just disappear. Instead, the portal exploded in another flash, and immediately dissipated. "Wait, wait, what happened?"

Castiel frowned. "The portal was not made to accept human souls. It rejected you." He had feared this would happen. It was why he initially elected to go by himself.

"What do we do?"

"I'll reopen the portal. There is still time. But i'll have to go alone."

"No! We already talked about this! I have to come with you! There has to be another way..."

Dean could tell Castiel was frustrated with his obstinacy, but he had to put his foot down. He had to be part of this fight, of this rescue. Dean Winchester was not born to wait around and let others take care of things. "There... there may be a way to trick the portal into letting you in. But you will not like it, and the angels will _really_ not like it."

"Okay, I'll do whatever. Screw the angels."

"If we could put you back in your body... I could... join you. My grace may adequately hide your soul, and let us both in."

"Join me? As in possess me?"

"I realize its not a great option. And the angels will not want me to put you back in your body. But it may be the only way..."

Dean groaned. It seemed like his whole life was a series of no-win choices. "If you really think it will work..."

"I wouldn't have suggested it, otherwise. But we must hurry. We don't have much time."

…

When Dean awoke, his first thought was of Hell. The last time woke up from the dead, his memories plagued his every thought as he climbed desperately out of the wooden coffin.

This time around, it was different. He didn't have to climb out of anything- he simply opened his eyes to see Castiel staring at him. And yet Hell was still his first thought.

"Are you okay?" Castiel extended his arm, in what he thought to be a very human gesture, to help Dean up. Dean, however, just shook his head, and stood himself. "Is everything... working correctly? No problems?"

Dean took a moment to shake the memories from downstairs. He cleared his throat, and for the first time realized how strange it was to be alive again. "Yeah. Yeah, man, thanks. I'm good."

"Good, because there's no time. You have to give me verbal permission, and them we can go."

"Fine. I give you permission. But as soon as we're out, you gotta go."

"Agreed."

Dean mentally argued with himself about what a dumbass decision this was, as Castiel grabbed his shoulders. Before he could say anything, a white light that Dean recognized as an angelic grace flew from Castiel, and into him.

He could feel another presence inside him, but at first, it was only that. He could still control his body, and everything seemed to be normal. Jimmy Novak's body had fallen to the ground, empty. Dean checked it for some hint of life, but Jimmy was long gone. "Castiel?" He asked aloud. "Are you... are you in there?"

Suddenly, he felt paralyzed. His arms and legs wouldn't move, but somehow he stayed upright. His mouth began to move, and his voice came out, but it wasn't his words. "Yes, I am here. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, except I can't move!" Dean complained, but his body didn't follow. Somehow, Cas still heard him.

"I know, sorry. We can't both control the body, and I must redo the ritual."

"Whatever. I hate this. Let's just get it over with."

Castiel, in Dean's voice, read the ritual again. "_Ianua Magna Aperta Tandem!_" The portal reopened, and this time, they were able to pass through.

And thus began a journey full of blood, danger, monsters, and "God damn it, Castiel! Stop moving me!"'s.


	5. Singer and Friends

With the death of Lilith, and the end of the abrupt halt to the angels apocalypse plan, zombies started falling dead (for real) in the streets. This allowed for humans, those who were still alive, to come out of hiding and find each other. They started to form new communities, and cleared up bodies from the street. They inhabited old buildings, and fixed them up. They were able to grow food, hunt, and scavenge for nonperishables.

In about six months, people from different landmasses started to communicate again. Most technology was already there, they just had to find people who knew how to use it. Once global communication was back, everything changed.

2 years post-zombie, people had moved back into cities, and had jobs farming, building, etc. However, at the same time, there were select groups of individuals all over the world working on getting technology back to what it was.

But there was also a group, unknown to everyone else, who saw this as a huge opportunity. Hunters.

Things were getting better exponentially, but they still weren't up to par. That gave them a lot of leeway in getting to the monsters, undetected. Suddenly, their habits weren't so unusual. Their arsenals weren't so suspicious. For a while, at least, they would blend in.

Bobby Singer was one of those hunters.

With Sam's help, he was able to get his house in Sioux Falls back into shape. His book collection was mostly gone, but he figured that was the least of his worries. He reset up his base with the hunter community, relieved to reconnect with those who made it, and mourned those who apparently did not.

He hunted a little with Sam at first, but mostly he dealt with other hunters. They needed help adjusting, and he was willing to help. And then Sam left. He woke up one morning to find Sam downstairs in the kitchen, bags packed by the door. "I have to go, Bobby. This place... there's too many memories."

Bobby understood why Sam had to go. He wished the boy the best of luck, wherever he was going, and he meant it.

Honestly, although it broke his heart, he didn't expect to ever hear from him again. And yet, over a year later, he got the strangest phone call he had ever received- and that was saying something.

When Sam told him he had spoken to Dean, he _wanted _to believe. He wanted to believe that somehow, the kid had managed to find his way back to the land of the living yet again. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before.

But he couldn't have. He was gone, for real this time. And Sam... He must have been loosing his mind.

It took a few days after the phone call for Sam to get to Bobby's place. He spent the whole trip thinking and rethinking about his talk with Dean. He was so glad that Dean was okay, and happy even... But something wasn't right. He thought maybe it had something to do with Castiel. Maybe he had told Dean not to tell Sam something... something important.

Sam paused in front of Bobby's door. It had been awhile since he had seen the old hunter, and he felt bad about that. He tried to think of something to say, but he couldn't, so he just knocked.

After a moment, "Sam! Good to see ya, boy," Bobby brought Sam in for a hug. "Come on in."

"Thanks, Bobby." Bobby brought Sam and himself a beer, and they both settled down on the couch.

"So... You saw your brother?"

Sam nodded, taking a sip of the beer. "Castiel showed up at my door, and Dean was with him. But it wasn't _him _him. He was a... spirit."

"And you're sure it was him?"

"It was him, Bobby. It was Dean. I know my brother." Sam knew it sounded crazy, but it was real. "He said he was just checking up on me, but... why? Why suddenly after all this time?" Dean had been gone for three years, (It was almost as long as when he left for Stanford.) And yet he never once came to see him. What changed?

"Did he say anything off to you?"

Sam shook his head. "Not really. But him and Castiel... I don't know, man. They knew something. And I think it's important."

Bobby thought for a while, trying to decide if he believed all this or not. He knew Sam wasn't lying, and he supposed it wasn't _completely _impossible that Dean had just _shown up_.

There was one way he could find out for sure. "I may have an idea, boy."

"You do?"

"A buddy of mine... he might know somebody who can help. Supposedly, a few years ago when he was gettin' chased by some zombies, an angel came and saved his life."

"You think the angel knows what's going on?"

"It's certainly possible. I have to warn you, though. Apparently the angel is, well, kinda a dick. I'm not sure how willing he'll be to cooperate."

"It doesn't matter. We'll get him to help. _Somebody_ has to know what's going on, here."

In a just a few minutes, Bobby was on the phone with his friend, apparently another hunter named Garth, and was writing down an address. "Yes, thank you, Garth... No, really, you don't have to... Yes, I'll let him know... Okay, goodbye Garth."

He hung up, sighing. "Okay, looks like we gotta go to him, and he'll call the angel to get us."

"You don't seem too excited to see him," Sam commented, smiling to himself at the look on Bobby's face.

"The guy's a great hunter. Real great kid. But... well, you'll see."


	6. Adventures in a Midwest Purgatory

_**Another chapter! Thank you to everyone who has been reading this! Please review, and let me know what you think! I love getting feedback!**_

Dean absolutely hated sharing his body.

His whole life he had to share _everything_. His room, his bed, his food, everything. But never before had he been forced by circumstances to share his body with someone else. Also, this person was definitely not Sam.

This person was a dick. And he was so used to having control over some poor dudes body and mind, that he found it hard to share. Castiel.

"Cas, I seriously hate you."

"That's not a very good stance to have with someone in this sort of situation, Dean."

To top it all off, Purgatory was fucking terrifying. When he first opened his eyes, he thought he was in memory. He thought he was reliving one of those dreaded training drills his father had him do when he was a kid. He'd drop a young Dean off in the woods, somewhere, with no idea how to get back, with limited supplies and say "I expect you back home in a week." Harsh, maybe, but Dean knew it was why he knew how to survive, now.

But no, this was no memory.

It was eerily quiet in the woods around them. There was nothing to indicate any sign of life in this place. But then again, there wasn't really any _life_, anyway.

"Well this is dull..." Dean glanced around, watching out for any sign of a monster. "There's nothing here."

"There will be," his own voice warned, and he felt himself walk forward. "We should keep moving as long as possible. We need to find her, and quickly."

"Can you sense her at all? Like before we came in?"

"Yes, somewhat. An angel's grace sticks out here, like a beacon. While she isn't fully angelic, I can still find her relatively easily. But that also means the other monsters can find her as well,"

Dean sighed. Castiel was controlling him, and for the moment he let him. It was weird, being to _close_ to the angel. They were literally one person, and it was creeping him out a bit.

Somehow, Castiel could hear what he was saying, even if he wasn't saying it with his mouth. So did that mean he was essentially reading his thoughts? Damn, he hoped not.

"In a way, yes," Castiel replied, answering Dean's silent question. "I'm not _trying_ to get into your head, or listen to your thoughts. It's more like I'm standing beside you, and you're speaking out loud. Whether or not I'm listening, I'll hear some things."

"Wonderful," Dean groaned. "How come I can't hear your thoughts?"

"I'm better at shielding them than you are," Castiel replied, almost smugly.

"Well that just seems unfair. Come on, Cas, I wanna get inside your head."

Castiel dismissed him, and continued on. He followed the invisible path toward Megan. Not even he could see it- but he could feel it.

At first, they didn't see anything. It actually made Dean nervous, how quiet it was. He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he started getting a bad feeling. "Cas, you said that you're tracking Megan's angel grace, right? Because it stands out?"

"That is correct."

"But you have a grace, too."

Castiel paused. "Yes. So other monsters in here can track me, possibly even easier than they can track her."

"Then why haven't we seen anything yet?"

"These Purgatory creatures... they're animals, sure. But in order to survive in this place, it takes some intelligence, too. They've probably never seen an angel before, but they know about us. They won't attack right away. They'll just watch."

"Great. That's just great." Dean sighed, suddenly feeling even more useless. "Cas, would you mind if I take over for a bit? This is kinda uncomfortable."

"I suppose. I'll tell you where to go."

…

"We're getting close. Her grace is getting stronger," Castiel alerted him after a long while of walking. It was creepy as fuck to hear another voice in his head, but it was better than hearing someone else's words out of his mouth.

"Can you like... see her, or something? Can you tell if she's okay?" He tried desperately to cover up the emotions radiating out of him at the moment. With Castiel in his head, it was even harder to hide his feelings.

If Castiel could sense anything, he didn't show it. "I don't know. Sorry, I can only feel her presence, not her being."

Dean was going to respond, but suddenly his hunters instincts kicked in. He could feel someone's eyes watching them. _Castiel,_ he thought, not wanting to speak aloud. _Somebody's here._

And then, without any further warning, something was on him. He tried to throw it off his back, but it was strong. It had him down on the ground, and he felt it reaching for his weapons. He went to roll it off, but suddenly he couldn't move. Castiel had taken control, and with little to no effort he had the thing on the ground, pinned beneath him.

He reached out, prepared to smite the thing, but Dean stopped him. "Cas! Wait!" Castiel obliged immediately. "Look, it's... It's not an it. It's a human."

They both stared at the girl in awe. She looked wild, ravenous, and feral, but there was no mistaking her for any kind of monster. Castiel checked her for vampire teeth, must to her disliking, but no. She was human.

She was built, too. Strong enough to take down Dean Winchester. Dirt and blood caked her face and skin. She practically growled as they stared down at her, "Get off of me!"

Castiel didn't budge. "How did you get here? What are you?"

The woman didn't answer, and just continued to try and pull out from the angel's grasp.

"Let her up, Cas. She won't cooperate like this."

Castiel sighed, but did as he said. He held on to her wrist in case she tried to run, but allowed her to stand. "You're not meant to be here. We can help you. Just tell us what you are."

The girl stared at them for a few moments, deciding whether or not she believed him. "I'm not a _wha__t_, asshole. My name's Nasrin. I'm human. But not everyone in this place is, so what the hell are _you_?"

"I'm an angel." Castiel replied, honestly. "I'm looking for another angel: she may go by Megan or Nisroc. Have you seen her?"

Nasrin shook her head.

"Now, how did you get here? Humans shouldn't be able to get in here."

She shrugged. "I don't know, man. One moment I'm getting attacked by some dick on some major LSD, and suddenly I wake up here."

"LSD?"

"Drugs, Cas. Ask her about the guy who attacked her."

"Do you remember anything about the man who attacked you?"

"I don't know. He was a little shorter than you, but he took me down, easily. He must have been high, or something. I mean, he _bit_ me, for god sakes."

"Holy shit, Cas. I bet you anything that guy was a zombie." It all made sense... sorta. She was bit, near the beginning of it all, and she turned. And then... what? Her soul went to Purgatory?

Castiel frowned. There must have been something awfully powerful about the zombie "virus" if it even infected the souls. "We need to get you out of here, Nasrin. It's too dangerous."

"Don't I know it. I swear, I've seen shit I didn't even know existed. Including you, I guess. What was your name?"

"Uh..."

"Dude, my body, my name." _But I've already told her I'm an angel..._ "I don't care. Just tell her."

"I'm Dean."

Nasrin laughed. "An angel named Dean? Whatever you say. You really think you can get us out of here?"

"Us?" Castiel repeated.

"Well, yeah. There's a bunch of us... normal people in here. We have a camp set up, not that it really matters. "Those gooey bastards get in anyway."

"I'm confused."

"Come on, I'll take you to them."

Castiel began to follow her, but he heard Dean say to himself, "What's so funny about an angel named Dean?"


	7. Cue the Action Sequence

Nasrin led them back to her camp, or at least what _appeared_ to be a camp. Really, it was just a collection of people gathered together, sharpening weapons and on the lookout for danger.

The group looked much like Nasrin did. Dirty, tired, and dangerous. And still Castiel worried they were no match for the vampires, werewolves, and other monsters that inhabited this godless place.

Especially with these "goo" monsters.

"I brought a friend." Nasrin announced as they approached the camp. The members looked up suspiciously, but thankfully Dean looked human, regardless of the angel inside, and they didn't suspect anything too bad. "Don't worry. This is Dean. He says he can help us get out."

"No one can get us out of here," One of the men growled. "We've tried. We've lost people trying. We can't afford to lose anymore."

Honestly, it reminded Dean of Earth, after the apocalypse. They were just in a different place.

Some of the other members nodded in agreement. "This isn't just anyone, though." Nasrin promised. "Dean says he's an angel."

The man who spoke before scoffed. "An angel? You got to be kidding me?"

"Is it really that weird?" A short, dark-haired woman spoke up. "After all the evil we've seen, couldn't there be some good, too?"

"Not here..."

Castiel stayed silent, unsure of what to say. _We need to get these people out of here._

"I know, dude." Dean agreed. "But first we gotta find Megan. Then we'll take them with us, and get the hell out of dodge."

_It's not that simple, Dean. First of all, we don't even know if they_ can _get out. The portal didn't want to let you in, originally, unless I was there. There's no saying it will let a human soul out._

"And second?"

Castiel sighed. _And second... I'm not 100% sure I know how to get out._

"Excuse me?"

_Joshua said something about a portal, but he didn't know that much about it. It's supposedly some kind of loophole._

"So you just waltzed right into one of the most dangerous places in God's creation, without an exit strategy?" Dean asked, half angry, half bewildered.

_I... I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry, I should have told you. But would it have changed your mind about coming?_

"Well, no. Stupid plans are kind of my forte. But damn, Cas. I just can't believe it, that's all. Whatever, man. Let's just get a move on."

"Nasrin, can I talk to you for a second?" Castiel pulled her aside. "I need you to tell me about these "gooey' monsters."

"Of course," She nodded. "We call them gooey because they don't, like, bleed like we do. They're filled with black goo. And this is going to sound strange, but they can change their shape. If they touch you, they can turn into you."

"Sounds like a shapeshifter, but I've never heard of a shapeshifter made of black goo." Dean commented, racking his brain for all his knowledge of monsters. "You ever heard of that, buddy?"

_No. Never._ "Thank you, Nasrin. I'll keep a look out for them."

"Wait, are you leaving?" Nasrin stared at him, accusatory. "I thought you were going to help us get out?"

"Yes, and I plan to. But we- I mean, I came here for a reason, and I have to do that first. But I swear to you, I will be back." Castiel wondered if he sounded at all believable. But it really didn't matter, it was the truth. He wouldn't leave these people here, stranded. They weren't truly monsters, they never asked for this.

Nasrin glanced back at the group, and the returned her gaze to Castiel. "Fine. I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"I'll come with you to find the other angel, or whatever. I just need to make sure you're not going to blow us off... or die, for that matter."

_We can't bring her with us, Dean. It's much too dangerous._ "What, like it's not dangerous if she stays?" _This is different. We'll be purposely bringing her into danger. If she's with a large group, monsters are less likely to attack. _"Dude, you really think she's gonna just let us go? She doesn't trust us. If I were her, I'd do the same thing."

"What about the rest of your group? It looks like they need you."

Nasrin shrugged. "This is a dangerous place, but we've all survived by being competent enough. They'll be fine without me for now."

Castiel sighed, knowing that his options were limited. "Alright. We should get going."

…

Nasrin didn't talk much, but Castiel didn't mind. If she had, he wouldn't have been able to concentrate on her anyway. _Dean_ seemed to never run out of things to say in his head.

"I'm just saying, man. I think you'd get a lot more souls up in Heaven of you just upgraded a bit."

_Dean, I'm trying to concentrate on following Megan's grace, right now._

"Oh, yeah, sorry man. It's just so boring up here. Plus, it's fucking weird not being able to move..."

Castiel sighed. _I know, Dean, I just need to think right now._

"Is something wrong?" Nasrin asked, suddenly.

Castiel shook his head. "No, just... a headache. I think we're getting closer-"

"Do you hear that?" Nasrin interrupted. Castiel stopped, and Dean shut up, and they both listened. Rustling in the trees. The sound of feet on the ground. Someone was behind them.

Nasrin pulled out a dagger that she had hid in her boot, and Castiel prepared to fight.

The fight happened very quick. Three vamps attacked them from behind, bringing down Nasrin and knocking Castiel off his feet. Still, Cas managed to push the creature off of him before she was able to dig her teeth into him. Nasrin slammed her knee into one of the vamps' crotch, and stuck the dagger into his neck.

The third vampire managed to bite into Dean's leg, and Castiel went down on top of it. He pressed his hand over it's for head, and it exploded into a bright light before falling to the ground, dead.

He jumped up, grabbing onto the female, and smited her the same way.

Meanwhile, Nasrin finished slicing the final vamps head off. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she stood, looking Castiel over for injuries. "You're bit."

"Yes, unfortunately I can't heal myself in Purgatory. I'll have to wait until we're back on Earth." He mentally apologized to Dean, who could feel the pain in his leg just as much as Castiel.

"This blows, man. I can't even move my leg, but I sure can feel it when some vamp digs it's stupid fangs into it. I'd like to file a complaint." _There's no one to complain to except me, Dean._ "I know, Cas... never mind."

"Can you still walk?"

Castiel nodded. "I'll be fine, I prom-" Suddenly a scream echoed through the trees, reaching their ears.

"You've got to be kidding me. As if those three asshats weren't enough..." Nasrin sighed, griping tighter to her knife.

But Castiel and Dean weren't listening. "Cas, that's Megan," Dean wasn't sure how he knew for sure: it _sounded_ like her, but honestly it could've been any girl screaming like that. Yet somehow, he _knew_ it was her."

_I don't know, Dean... I can't tell. It could be a trap._ Castiel warned.

"Just... Give me control, Cas. Come on, quickly!"

Suddenly, he could move again, and without a word to Nasrin, he took off running. "Wait! Where are you going?" She called after him. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

But Dean didn't listen, and he didn't look back to see if she had followed him. He had been waiting too long for this. He just ran as fast as humanly possible, swerving around trees and hopping over rocks and roots. "Megan? Megan!"

There was no response, and eventually he had to stop to catch his breath. "Damn it... I can't find her."

"Don't stop, Dean. Keep heading this way. I can sense that we're close."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh... Yes..."

Dean shook his head. "You fill me with confidence, Cas." Regardless, he kept going, albeit a little slower than before. "Megan! Megan!"

"Dean?" At first, he thought it was Castiel trying to get his attention. But quickly he realized it was a girls voice, and he recognized it...

"Megan?"


	8. Together, At Last

Just a little bit farther, and he could see someone behind some trees. He pushed passed it, and found her, standing over a decapitated body, spewing black goo.

For a moment he forgot about trying to hide his feelings from Castiel. He stared at her, as memories flooded back.

She was covered in dirt and black goo. Her clothes were tattered and worn, her hair was haphazardly cut to just below the ears. As soon as she saw Dean emerge from the bushes, she dropped the machete she was carrying. Her mouth dropped in disbelief.

"Dean... how...?"

She ran over to him, and practically leaped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist. "You sure are a hard woman to find, Megan."

She pulled away grinning and tearing up, slightly. "How in the world did you find me, here? I never thought..."

"Castiel. He figured out where you were. Purgatory." He suddenly became re-aware of the angels' presence in his body. "He's uh... hold on, you can talk to him, too."

Megan watched, confused, as Dean blinked, and then stared at her. It was till him, but... His whole demeanor had changed. "Hello, Megan. It's... I'm glad you're okay."

"Castiel? You're... possessing Dean?"

Castiel smiled. "Technically. It's completely temporary, I assure you. It was the only way to get us both here."

"Why did you guys come?" Megan asked. When she had woken up in this place, she thought it was hell. It was a long time before she discovered that this was Purgatory- the resting place of _monsters_.

Before she knew she was an angel, she thought she was a monster. But then, when she discovered her true past, she was able to shed those self-loathing feelings. But now, it was almost like her original suspicions were confirmed.

But she didn't let that stop her. She didn't let herself go. She fought, and she fought hard. In here, she stood out like a beacon. Monsters were constantly on her tail, each one of them searching impatiently, wishing to get a taste of her rare angel flesh.

She was sure that she was here, forever. There was no escaping, just adapting. But suddenly, it seemed that the light at the end of the tunnel was beginning to shine. Dean and Castiel had come to save her., like knights in plaid armor.

"We're going to get you out of this place," Castiel assured her. "This is no environment for an angel such as yourself."

"You know a way out?"

Castiel frowned. "Not exactly. But we will."

Castiel was having trouble dealing with the rush of emotions. He was thrilled to see Megan, and even happier to see her safe. But behind that, was Dean. He had been trying to ignore Dean's personal thoughts, as he knew how intrusive it was to listen in. But now it was hard to.

Humans were emotional creatures, and sometimes their emotions were hard for Castiel to handle. He noticed that Dean was relatively skilled at hiding his feelings, but with the shock and excitement of finding Megan, he couldn't seem to do it anymore.

Memories were flooding through the humans head, and bits and pieces were escaping into Castiel's. A run down liquor store, full of shattered glass and broken shelves. A younger Megan, tired and scared, clasping clumsily to a gun she obviously had no idea how to use.

Then she was older, more sure if herself. She was laughing, covering her face in embarrassment.

Castiel had never been kissed before, but he could almost feel himself lean down and press his own lips against hers in a moment if weakness. Confusion and joy rolling over him like unforgiving waves strong enough to pull a boat beneath the surface.

And of course, there was the last time Dean had ever seen Megan. Her fingers intertwined with his, her energy flowing out toward Lilith.

Castiel felt it so awfully strange to relive someone else's memories, and he only hoped that Dean was unaware he was doing so.

"You really think you can get me out of here?" Megan asked, trying to push down the naïve hope rising up inside her.

Castiel nodded. "Yes, I do believe so."

"Cas, we need to find Nasrin," Dean reminded him, inwardly. "I kinda left her behind."

"But first," Castiel continued, "We have people to save."

"People? In here?"

"It appears the souls of the zombies ended up here, trapped. But I think I can get them out." He tried to speak with more confidence than he actually possessed. He actually had _no idea_ if he could get then out or not. He just knew that he would try. "We were traveling with a woman... But in all the commotion we lost her. We should really go find her, first."

Megan agreed, and followed Castiel back to where he had come from. She desperately wanted to speak to Dean again... to hear his voice, but have it actually he his words. In her time in Purgatory, she had missed him a lot. She missed everyone, but he was different.

Suddenly, a question popped into her head that she had to know the answer go right away. "Castiel... or, Dean, or whoever... is Dean, um... is he alive?"

Castiel didn't answer right away. _Did you want to talk to her?_ "Yeah, man... thanks."

Dean took back control. He stopped, looking back to Megan who was waiting expectantly. "No, I'm not. The only reason I have my body right now is because Cas _temporarily_ resurrected me so I could come with him to find you."

Megan nodded. "Okay... I figured you didn't... I was just kind of hoping that, maybe you somehow survived..." Dean had died with her when he really didn't have to. He just didn't want her to be alone, and she appreciated that. But afterwords, as she wandered around Purgatory, alone again, she started to feel guilty.

Dean had a brother. He had Bobby, and Castiel. That was his family, and she had taken that from him by allowing him to stay with her. She should have refused. She should have _made_ Castiel take him away to someplace safe. But in that moment of weakness, she had let him die.

Dean just shrugged. He didn't blame her; he didn't even _think_ go blame her. He had always been reckless when it came to those closest to him. He was always going to be. "Nobody walked back out of that church. But hey, that was the whole point. We both knew that."

They started walking again. "Yeah, I know, it's just... When I woke up here, I had no idea what was happening back at Earth. And I had no way to find out. So I just... hoped for the best."

"I'm fine, really " Dean assured her. "Somehow I made it past the pearly gates. Cas has been keeping me company. And back home... things are better, now. You really saved them, Megan. The humans down there, they don't know it, but they owe you a lot."

Megan smiled. That was another thing she wasn't sure about. She had done all this to stop the end of the world, but for all she knew it had ended, anyhow. She was glad her plan worked.

"Dean?" Dean and Megan stopped, both hearing the voice.

Megan didn't recognize it, but Dean did. "Nasrin?"

Suddenly, two figures appeared in front of them from the shadows. A large vampire had Nasrin in his arms, his teeth out and ready to dig into her neck at a moment's notice. Dean went to step forward, but the vamp held out his hand.

"You don't want to do that, brother. Not unless you want me to hurt your lady friend here. Trust me, neither of us want that."

"Nasrin, are you okay?" Dean asked, eying the vamp.

"Do I look okay? Just listen to him."

"Look, don't hurt her, okay? What do you want?"

"Dean, should I take over?" Castiel asked, sensing the situation was about to go from bad to worse. He didn't want to risk loosing Nasrin, but he didn't want to take back control unless necessary.

_Not yet. Let me handle this._

"I've been searching for this angel here for a while now. Imagine my surprise when I hear that a _second_ angel showed up." The vamp sneered, staring at Megan. "I want what anyone else in their right mind wants. I want out of this place."

"We're not helping a vampire get back onto Earth," There was no way Dean was going to help this guy. If he thought he could just threaten them and...

"You're not, are you?" His smirk made Dean want to punch him, but he somehow maintained his composure. "Do you even have a way out? Because I'd bet you my ticket outta here that you don't. As of now, you're stuck in this hellhole just like the rest of us." Dean didn't answer. "That's what I thought. But this is a lucky day for you then, because _I_ can get us out. I can get _all_ of us out."

Dean, Megan and Castiel all stayed silent. They all knew he was right: they _were_ stuck in here. But they didn't know if they could trust him. Finally, Dean decided to speak on behalf of the group. "Okay, we'll help you. Just let the girl go."

The vampire nodded, releasing Nasrin, who ran over to Dean. "I look forward to working together, brother. You can call me Benny."


	9. Deal or No Deal

"Bobby!" Garth was short and lanky, and _nothing_ like Sam had imagined him.

He was small for a hunter, and honestly just seemed too nice. Regardless, he trusted Bobby's judgment when he said Garth was a good hunter. Honestly, it was all he _could_do. Garth was his only shot at figuring out what was wrong with Dean.

"It's good to see you, Garth. This is Sam,"

"Of course! I've heard a lot about you!" Sam held out his hand, but Garth leaned up to hug him, instead. "I hear you need to speak to an angel."

Sam nodded.

"I've already called him down. It shouldn't be long, now." Garth promised. He offered them beer, which they readily accepted. "So, Bobby didn't tell me _why_ you wanted to talk to him."

Sam glanced over at Bobby. "Well, uh, I need to ask him something. About my brother."

"Ah," Garth's silence told Sam that Bobby had already told the young hunter about Dean. It was odd to think of Bobby telling people about the two of them... but he supposed he should have known it happened.

After a while, Bobby said "Ya know, Garth, the whole _reason_ I called you beforehand was so you'd be ready. We really don't have time-"

"Hey, hey, _hey, Chillax_, man. I don't run on your schedule." Bobby and Sam turned, startled at the new voice. A short blonde man in a suede jacket stood behind them, his hands in his pockets. He gave a small nod in Garth's direction before turning his attention to Bobby and Sam. "No need for introductions on your side, fellas. Every angel knows your brother's name right now, Sam."

"Sorry, guys. He can be a bit... abrasive. This is Gabriel." Garth apologized, introducing the angel.

"Hm. Sam Winchester and Bobby Singer. Didn't think I'd ever _willingly_ be seeing you two." Gabriel slowly made his way to the couch where Garth had sat down, and plopped down beside him. Sam and Bobby took a seat across from them. "So, you called me. What can I do for you?"

Sam and Bobby exchanged glances. They hadn't met very many angels, but they had never met one like this. "Well... You said you knew my brother." Sam started.

"Yes, of course. The infamous Dean Winchester. Went to Hell, way ahead of schedule, may I add, came back, fucked everything up, and now he's dead. Again. Sound about right?"

Sam gave a little nod. He supposed that description was accurate.

"So we're both talking about the same Dean Winchester. What about him?"

"He's in Heaven, right?"

"Well, yeah, he was."

"Was?" Sam and Bobby spoke simultaneously. Sam continued. "What do you mean? Where is he, now?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Beats me. I heard through the grapevine that he ran off with his angel boyfriend a couple days ago. Supposedly, Castiel even put him back in his body."

"Wait, he's alive?" Sam couldn't believe that. If Dean was alive, why wouldn't be come to find Sam? Where else would he possibly go? "Can you find Castiel? Can I speak to him?"

"Afraid not, Sam. Castiel seems to have pulled himself off the map. Trust me, if the angels could find Cas, they already would have. Most of them are ready to kick his ass for going against orders not to resurrect your brother."

Sam put his head in his hands. His brother was _alive_. It must have happened right after he saw him as a ghost. But why would he hide? Where had he and Castiel run off to? The only conclusion he could draw from this was that Dean was in trouble.

Gabriel, who hadn't stopped smiling this whole time, finally rolled his eyes and sighed. He leaned forward, to out less distance between him and Sam. "Look, Sam, I wouldn't worry about your brother. He can take care of himself."

While Sam knew that to be true, he also knew that he could be reckless, and stupid, and he had a knack for getting himself into trouble.

"Besides, I know Castiel. He's a bit oblivious, but he's harmless."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks." Bobby put his hand on his shoulder.

Gabriel stood up, as if prepared to leave, but he seemed to stop. "Look, I can see you're still worried. Maybe we can make a deal..." Sam glanced up. "I'll try and find your brother, if you do something for me."

"What do ya want him to do, exactly?" Bobby asked, cautiously. Making deals had so far not worked out for the Winchesters, and he wasn't about to let Sam go get himself killed for nothing.

"Chill, big guy. I'm trying to _help_ here, remember?" Gabriel put his hand to his heart for emphasis. "All I need the kid here to do is check something out for me. Just an old building. Nothing big."

"Why do you want it checked out?" Sam questioned.

"I have some... sources that say some bad shit is going down, there, that's all. They aren't particularly reliable, so I don't know if it's true. But you, Mr. Winchester, _you_ are definitely reliable."

"And you can't do this yourself, because...?"

"Because I'm going to be too busy on this wild goose chase for your brother, that's why." Gabriel crossed his arms. "So, are you in, or what?"

Sam looked over to Bobby, who just shrugged. "I'll come with you to this building if you accept, just in case." He promised.

Sam sighed. He wanted to find Dean so bad... He just wanted to be sure he was alright. "Fine, I'll do it. But you _have_ to find Dean."

"I'll do my best." Gabriel smiled. He grabbed a pen and paper and wrote the address. He handed the slip to Sam, and then glanced down at Garth. "Thanks for the invite, Garth. Call me if you need anything." And then he was gone.

Sam and Bobby said thank you to Garth, and also departed. Garth made them promise to check in with him after they check out the old building. He said he trusted Gabriel, but that didn't mean he trusted Gabriel's 'sources'. They agreed to give him a call, soon.

"So, what do you think, Bobby? Can we trust this guy?" Sam asked as they got into the car.

"I don't think we have a choice," He grunted. "Who knows what Dean's got himself into, but it can't be good. And I think this _Gabriel _is the best shot we got at figuring it out."

"I guess you're right..." Sam agreed, grudgingly. He didn't want to put his faith in this angel, but he recognized he didn't really have another choice. "So, are we heading to this address, then?"

Bobby took the piece of paper and read it over. "1009 Pleasant Pine Lane. It's a local place. I guess we should."

And with that, they drove off, with no idea what was waiting for them at their destination.


End file.
